Bellows with protective plate members

Abstract

[Subject] To provide a novel bellows with protective plate members, which allows replacement of only damaged slat(s), rather than total replacement of the bellows, when damaged or deformed only in a part of a large number of fixed slats (protective plate members). [Solving Means] The bellows includes a bellows body 2 having ridge parts 2 a and valley parts 2 b alternately formed therein, and having a bellows supporting plate 5 fixed inside thereof; a fixing plate 3 fixed to the bellows body 2 ; protective plate members 4 each having a fitting plate part 41 detachably attached to the fixing plate 3 , and a protective plate 44 ; wherein the fixing plate 3 having formed therein one engagement parts 33, 34 , the fitting plate part 41 having formed thereon other engagement part 45, 46 , thereby making it possible to attach or detach the protective plate member 4 to and from the fixing plate 3.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A bellows with protective plate members, the bellows comprising:
 a bellows body having ridge parts and valley parts alternately formed therein, and being configured to be stretchable in a first direction that is normal to a second direction, the second direction being a longitudinal direction of the ridge parts and the valley parts; 
 bellows supporting plates fixed inside the bellows body such that each bellows supporting plate is vertically suspended from a corresponding one of the ridge parts; 
 fixing plates disposed outside the bellows body, each fixing plate being fixed to a corresponding one of the bellows supporting plates such that the bellows body is held in between the fixing plates and the bellows supporting plates; and 
 protective plate members, each protective plate member comprising a fitting plate part detachably attached to a corresponding one of the fixing plates, and a protective plate part which extends from the fitting plate part across a folded part so as to cover a top portion of the bellows body, 
 each fixing plate having at least one first engagement member formed therein or arranged thereon in a longitudinal direction thereof; and each fitting plate part having at least one second engagement member formed thereon or around, wherein the at least one second engagement member respectively engages with the at least one first engagement member, and 
 each protective plate member being attachable to and detachable from the corresponding one of the fixing plates fixed to the bellows supporting plates, as a result of engagement of the at least one second engagement member of the fitting plate part of each protective plate member with the at least one first engagement member of the corresponding one of the fixing plates, and as a result of disengagement of the at least one second engagement member of the fitting plate part of each protective plate member from the at least one first engagement member of the corresponding one of fixing plates. 
 
     
     
       2. The bellows with protective plate members according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the fixing plates are fixed in a direction parallel to the second direction, and each of the first engagement members formed on the fixing plates comprises a first engagement part, and a second engagement part formed so as to be spaced from the first engagement part in the direction parallel to the second direction, 
 each of the second engagement members comprises a third engagement part that engages with a corresponding one of the first engagement parts when an external force is applied on the corresponding fitting plate part from a valley part side to a ridge part side, and a fourth engagement part that engages with a corresponding one of the second engagement parts when an external force is applied on the corresponding fitting plate part from the ridge part side to the valley part side, and 
 each protective plate member being attachable to and detachable from the corresponding fixing plate, as a result of engagement of the corresponding first engagement part with the corresponding third engagement part, and engagement of the corresponding second engagement part with the corresponding fourth engagement part, and, as a result of disengagement of the corresponding first engagement part from the corresponding third engagement part, and disengagement of the corresponding second engagement part from the corresponding fourth engagement part. 
 
     
     
       3. The bellows with protective plate members according to  claim 2 , wherein either the fixing plates or the fitting plate parts each have, formed thereon, an elastic arm which keeps the corresponding fitting plate part and the corresponding fixing plate apart from each other, while maintaining the engagement of the corresponding first engagement part with the corresponding third engagement part, and the engagement of the corresponding, second engagement part with the corresponding fourth engagement member. 
     
     
       4. The bellows with protective plate members according to claim wherein each fixing plate is configured as a single plate having its longest dimension in a direction parallel to the second direction, each of the first engagement members has a shaft part having a top end thereof that protrudes out from a surface of the fixing plate, and a disk part formed at the top end of the shaft part,
 each fitting plate part has, formed therein as the second engagement members, engagement holes, each of which engages with the shaft part of a corresponding one of the first engagement members, and 
 each of the engagement holes has a disk part insertion hole through which the disk part of the corresponding first engagement member is inserted, and an oblong shaft part insertion hole through which the shaft part of the corresponding first engagement member is inserted, wherein the oblong shaft part insertion hole is formed so as to be connected and open to the disk pan insertion hole and to extend from the disk part insertion hole in a direction parallel to the second direction. 
 
     
     
       5. The bellows with protective plate members according to  claim 4 , wherein at least one of the plurality of engagement holes has a stopper tongue provided so as to partially close the disk part insertion hole of the at least one engagement hole, a front end of the stopper tongue being capable of elastically deforming so as to deflect away from the bellows body, when applied with an external force, and being capable of elastically deforming underneath the disk part of the corresponding first engagement member, when the disk part of the corresponding first engagement member is inserted through the disk part insertion hole of the at least one engagement hole, and the shaft part of the corresponding first engagement member slides along the shaft part insertion hole. 
     
     
       6. The bellows with protective plate members according to  claim 5 , wherein each first engagement member has, fixed to a bottom end of the shaft part thereof, a lower disk part which is shaped identically to the disk part, with an upper surface thereof facing a bottom face of the disk part,
 each fixing plate has, formed therein and arranged in a longitudinal direction thereof, a plurality of Y-shaped oblong holes, and 
 a portion surrounded by each oblong hole forms a tongue which is capable of causing, when applied with an external force, elastic deformation in a front end thereof so as to deflect towards a back face side or a top face side of the fixing plate, forming an opening larger than an outside dimension of the disk part or lower disk part of a corresponding one of the first engagement members, and, capable of allowing the corresponding first engagement member to be fixed to the fixing plate, while keeping the shaft part thereof positioned on a front end side of the tongue. 
 
     
     
       7. The bellows with protective plate members according to  claim 4 , wherein, in each fitting plate part, a length in a longitudinal direction of the fitting plate part of the individual oblong shaft part insertion holes of the plurality of engagement holes formed in the fitting plate part: successively increases in the longitudinal direction of the fitting plate part, and
 each protective plate member is attachable to and detachable from the corresponding fixing plate, as a result of engagement of all of the first engagement members of the fixing plate with all of the engagement holes formed in each fitting plate part by inserting the disk part of a first one of the first engagement members into the disk part insertion hole of a first engagement hole, the first engagement hole having the longest oblong shaft part insertion hole in each fitting plate part, and inserting the shaft part of the first one of the first engagement members into the oblong shaft part insertion hole of the first engagement hole and then, inserting the disk part of a second one of the first engagement members, the second one of the first engagement members being adjacent to the first one of the first engagement members, into the disk part insertion hole of a second engagement hole, the second engagement hole being adjacent to the first engagement hole, and inserting the shaft part of the second one of the first engagement members into the oblong shaft part insertion hole of the second engagement hole; or, as a result of disengagement of all of the first engagement members from all of the engagement holes formed in each fitting plate part by removing the shaft part of the second one of the first engagement members from the oblong shaft part insertion hole of the second engagement hole and removing the disk part of the second one of the first engagement members from the disk part insertion hole of the second engagement hole, and removing the shaft part of the first one of the first engagement members from the oblong shaft part insertion hole of the first engagement hole and removing the disk part of the first one of the first engagement members from the disk part insertion hole of the first engagement hole. 
 
     
     
       8. The bellows with protective plate members according to  claim 7 , wherein each first engagement member has, fixed to a bottom end of the shaft part thereof, a lower disk part which is shaped identically to the disk part, with an upper surface thereof facing a bottom face of the disk part,
 each fixing plate has, formed therein and arranged in a longitudinal direction thereof, a plurality of Y-shaped oblong holes, and 
 a portion surrounded by each oblong hole forms a tongue which is capable of causing, when applied with an external force, elastic deformation in a front end thereof so as to deflect towards a back face side or a top face side of the fixing plate, forming an opening larger than an outside dimension of the disk part or lower disk part of a corresponding one of the first engagement members, and, capable of allowing the corresponding first engagement member to be fixed to the fixing plate, while keeping the shaft part thereof positioned on a front end side of the tongue. 
 
     
     
       9. The bellows with protective plate members according to  claim 4 , wherein each first engagement member has, fixed to a bottom end of the shaft part thereof, a lower disk part which is shaped identically to the disk part, with an upper surface thereof fixing a bottom face of the disk part,
 each fixing plate has, formed therein and arranged in a longitudinal direction thereof, a plurality of Y-shaped oblong holes, and 
 a portion surrounded by each oblong hole forms a tongue which is capable of causing, when applied with an external force, elastic deformation in a front end thereof so as to deflect towards a back face side or a top face side of the fixing plate, forming an opening larger than an outside dimension of the disk part or lower disk part of a corresponding one of the first engagement members, and, capable of allowing the corresponding first engagement member to be fixed to the fixing plate, while keeping the shaft part thereof positioned on a front end side of the tongue.